Restaurant Review: Panda Market

By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

 

We started off with the Fried Whole Squid doused in sweet chili sauce named Sea Monster. It was tender with an appealing chewiness and coated with a super crispy batter. Even with all that sauce, it remained crispy and not overdressed.

We had Popcorn Chicken from TW Traditional Snacks. The chicken was well-seasoned with a purposeful amount of saltiness while being succulent and juicy. We also got the Takoyaki which were large and rather soft. The texture was almost thick and creamy. It tasted good.

The highlight of the night was the two skewers each of chicken and lamb (from Xin Jiang A Fan Ti Halal BBQ). The cumin was prevalent. Both meats were tender and almost juicy while nicely charred on the outside.

One of the more surprising items was the simplicity of the Fried French Toast from It's Toasty. The bread was super soft and fluffy. The mango jam wasn't too sweet, but provided a nice kick of flavour. For dessert, we had the Mango Shaved Ice from Mangoholic. The mango was solid, being ripe and sweet. The ice cream was creamy and just sweet enough.

One of the best sweet items we tried was the Cheese Tarts. We got the regular and the lavender flavours. Both fillings were creamy yet not heavy.

The most novel item of all was the Smoking Sundae from Sweet Lips. The dry ice contained in the double-cup surely added flair to the drink. As for the drink itself, it wasn't too sweet and pleasant enough.

We tried nearly everything at the Panda Market and came away with very full stomachs.

 

Panda Market

12631 Vulcan Way, Richmond, BC

 

The Good:

• Smaller venue, less busy

• Easier time finding parking

• No entrance fee

 

The Bad:

• Smaller venue also means less choice

• Less vendors in general

 

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

 

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